TECC 122: Sales and Business Development for Engineers: Advice from a Panel of Experts Part 2 of 2

In this episode, you'll hear part 2 of the Sales and Business Development for Engineers panel from our may 2016 Engineering Career Summit in New Orleans, click here for part 1. The panel includes Carl Herrick, Perryn Olson, Jim Rogers and Kristi Hoke. Engineering Success quotes: Here are the key points from the Sales and Business Development for Engineers panel : Do not dwell on the idea that the only way that you can start a business is by burning a bridge with the company you are currently working for. It is your job to think of creative ways that you can create positives on both sides. Challenge yourself on what you can do to complement your engineering company. One referral can turn into plenty more referrals. The danger in a new engineering business is that the cash flow is very slim. You cannot waste your time with suspects who can’t or won’t afford you. The three categories in order to qualify someone whether they are a suspect or a prospect are: They have to be able to afford you. They have to have a pain or a pleasure. They must to have the authority to make the decision. We are much more likely to try avoiding pain as humans, than we are to achieve some growth or some gain. You need to understand the culture in companies as every organization has a culture and every organization has a personality. Some organizations require you to respect the hierarchy, and then some are more flat managed. Business Development is about being a great listener, asking great questions, having a drive, building relationships and knowing what the client’s needs are. You must be confident, skilled and assertive, but never aggressive when doing business development as an engineer. More in this episode… In the Take Action of Today segment of the show, I talk more about connecting with people and how that can benefit you in your Business. About the Guests Carl Herrick, He spent 23 years in engineering, onsite project management and product sales positions, as Account and Regional Managers for companies that included Xerox, Betz Industrial and DaimlerChrysler before establishing his Sandler Training center in Baton Rouge in 2009. There he built sales teams and began to understand how and why sales teams thrive or fail, the difference between effective sales processes and what just sounded good, and what it takes to create successful sales teams. Today, he blends his own experiences with nationally proven training and evaluation tools from the Sandler Training Institute, Extended DISC and The Devine Group to teach a unique brand of sales training and personal development. Carl has successfully conducted literally hundreds of on-site and offsite corporate sales workshops during the past 20 years with a combined student rating of 4.9 on a 5.0 scale. Top executives and their sales forces all benefit from Carl's expertise and experience, especially in the areas of new account acquisition, behavioral improvement and the recruitment and retention of top performers. Perryn Olson is a sought after professional services marketer with a specialty in the construction industry. He is certified marketer with SMPS (Society of Marketing Professional Services) and the Construction Marketing Association. Perryn serves as president of SMPS Southeast Louisiana, and past co-chair for SMPS Southern Regional Conferences (SRC). He is the past president of Executive Connections, a business networking organization in New Orleans. Perryn has written articles for CFMA, ABC, AGC, SMPS, and AIC as well as speaking at ABC, SMPS, CFMA, and NADCA, on topics such as Construction Marketing, Brand Marketing, Creativity, Utilizing Social Media and Content Marketing,